An Colorado whiskey in the Irish tradition..sort of...malted barley plus rye...it looks very light. Has anyone tried this? If there is a thread I did not see it.

http://www.downslopedistilling.com/

wripvanwrinkle

08-07-2010, 13:24

Hi Jono,

I recently bought at a bottle. In short, I was really disappointed. I have been working under the assumption that I like all whiskey.

The nose to me is really bad. I enjoy heavily peated Islay malts, and am not adverse to the medicinal. The double diamond leans in this direction, but for me turns in the wrong direction. Taking a light whiff of the drink was ok but not pleasurable. With a little water, taking a heavy sniff led me to the point of near revulsion.

Surprisingly the taste is much better. Although I finished the glass, I could not get over the nose.

At 31 USD a bottle...I was unhappy with the purchase. I'm wondering if the smell is the clearach, or a byproduct of the aging. I enjoy young whiskey, but this batch did not work for me.

wripvanwrinkle

10-01-2010, 18:10

I had left this bottle hidden on my shelf, only occasionally daring to make eye contact with it. Many a night I considered dumping it to alleviate the guilt of leaving it ignored. Tonight I decided to revisit it.

The smell that I found repulsive is completely gone. This is a different whiskey.

It reminds of an Irish. A very, very young Irish malt. The malt is obvious. The overwhelming scent is of wet grass and wet hay. There is a subtle sweetness there, but to me that smell is closer to the sweetness of dandelions than honey.

The whiskey tastes young...which for me is good. There are no adornments here. This is a simple, honest drink. The best part though is when it hits the tongue.

I get a sensation on my tongue when tasting Rye whiskey that I associate with the feeling of Pop Rocks. That dancing, popping, sensation that is almost similiar to the way that soda bubbles up as you drink it. I really like this sensation, as I think that it covers up the bitterness that I taste in some whiskeys. I'm unsure if it is a taste or a distraction.

This is there, ever so slightly in the Double Diamond.

This moment of Rye hides the bitterness and immediatley transitions into the taste of young malt. No sweetness, but no bitterness. Beautiful.

I hope that my earlier feedback didn't discourage anyone from tasting this whiskey. This is an interesting drink that is well worth a try.